GDC: When Cartoon Network Meets Smash Bros.

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Samurai Jack throws down with the Powerpuff Girls.

By Ryan Clements

Even if you're not a Nintendo fan, you had to admit that the Super Smash Bros. series was a good idea. These multiplayer fighting games combine famous characters from across the Nintendo universe and throw them into a giant battle with enough special moves, items, and Poke Balls to sink an oil tanker. It's no surprise that developers around the industry look to this formula when creating their own games. The folks at Papaya Studio were inspired by Super Smash Bros. when they set out to create Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion for the Nintendo 3DS.

Last week, I had the opportunity to play Punch Time with some developers from Papaya and see just how similar it is to Smash Bros. It was also a rare chance for me to get some time with the 3DS, because IGN Executive Editor Rich George keeps our Japanese 3DS systems inside a vault. Behind a dragon. On the surface of the sun.

The most obvious correlation between the two games is the setup. Just like in Smash Bros., Punch Time features famous characters from a bunch of popular Cartoon Network shows. Expect plenty of battles featuring the Powerpuff Girls, Dexter, and Samurai Jack. 11 different Cartoon Network shows are represented in the roster.

Punch Time's battle system is extremely similar to the gameplay found in Smash Bros. Four players can play at one time in 2D arenas. Each character has an assortment of normal attacks and also a set of special attacks that can be executed with the simple press of a button. A special attack can be changed depending on the d-pad direction pressed, which gives players easy access to an arsenal of special moves. The Powerpuff Girls, for example, can use some of their special moves to move around the stage more quickly. Think Captain Falcon's "Falcon Punch" technique, but with super-powered kindergarteners instead of a future-car driver.

Although there are different modes of play available in multiplayer competition, a player's main goal in Punch Time is to knock the other players off-screen. As a player deals damage to his enemy, that enemy's damager meter will rise. The higher the damage meter, the more likely a blow will catapult a character off the screen.

During all this chaos, players can collect small crystal shards and charge up a meter on the bottom screen. Once full, players have access to a special super attack.

With so much in common with Smash Bros., Punch Time might sound like a dream-come-true. The ideas in place are smart, but I have serious concerns over the gameplay. It's not a finished product so this is all subject to change, but everything in Punch Time felt sluggish. Perhaps this is a framerate issue, or just control input lag, but Punch Time was nowhere near as frantic or satisfying as Smash Bros. I wanted everything on screen to move at a quicker pace, and I wanted more immediate control over my character.

There's still time for the developers to address these issues before Punch Time launches. Until then, stay wary of this 3DS title until us IGN folks have more time to play it.